Image: K-State Salina Flight Team/Image courtesy of K-State Salina

Kansas State University Salina student pilots recently traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, to showcase their aviation skills, earning a spot in a national competition. The K-State Salina Flight Team’s performance at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Region 6/7 competition qualified them for the NIFA SAFECON national event in May 2026, marking the team’s 12th national qualification in 15 years.

At the regional competition, K-State competed against eight other colleges and finished third overall. Team captain Michael Einwich, a senior in professional pilot from Bel Aire, said the team set a goal to improve on last year’s fourth-place finish and were pleased with the results. He credited the team’s preparation and the support from the K-State Salina aviation administration for their success.

Several students earned top individual honors. Isaac Smith, senior in professional pilot from Salina, received the Top Pilot award and the Short Field award. Einwich placed third in Top Pilot, fifth in Short Field, and second in the SCAN event. Daniel Novovesky, sophomore from Overland Park, finished fifth in Top Pilot, and Mary Barbour, junior in aviation maintenance management from Quakertown, Pennsylvania, won the AMT Test award.

Other strong performances came in the Unlimited NAV event, with Novovesky and Gavin Bowman, senior from Wichita, placing third, and Einwich and Claire Trapp, junior from Green Lake, Wisconsin, placing fourth.

“I am proud of the efforts of our student pilots at the Region VI event,” said Tysen Pina, K-State Salina aviation department head. “These students showcased the whole range of skills that go into being an excellent pilot, including the flight, planning and safety skills that we teach every day at K-State. Like with any challenge or competition, there comes adversity, but as is an emphasis in our program, the students were able to overcome it like the professionals they are.”